Science Learning and Scientific Reasoning

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Science Learning and Scientific Reasoning This application addresses broad Challenge Area (12) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education (STEM) and specific Challenge Topic, 12-OD-101: Efficacy of educational approaches toward promoting STEM competencies. In STEM education, widely accepted teaching goals include not only the development of solid content knowledge but also the development of general scientific reasoning abilities that will enable students to successfully handle open-ended real-world tasks in their future careers. The goal of this project is to develop a research infrastructure for conducting systematic studies and evaluation of the effectiveness of widely used interactive engagement and inquiry based education interventions on developing students' ability in scientific reasoning. To achieve the research objectives, we will conduct four areas of studies and developments: (1) Refine and complete a standardized assessment instrument on scientific reasoning to produce a valid and easy-to-use assessment tool suitable for large scale quantitative evaluations. (2) Evaluate the effectiveness of several education programs and innovations in their impacts on developing scientific reasoning ability. (3) Develop a large scale national and international quantitative assessment database on scientific reasoning for students from different age groups and backgrounds. (4) Develop a community users and researchers to sustain future research and development in education that promotes scientific reasoning. These new developments will provide educators and researchers with vital instruments, practical examples and resources, and a solid research knowledge base for developing and implementing curricula or interventions that are effective in helping students gain both content understanding and general scientific reasoning abilities in STEM areas. This project will make direct impact to hundreds of teachers and researchers and tens of thousands of students. The products of this project will make long-term sustained impact on the public's views and expectations of STEM education and how we teach future generations in science and technology. The outcomes will also help the transition of our education system from content-oriented teaching to ability fostering, which will produce a more competitive next generation workforce to sustain the prosperity of our society. Public Health Relevance: The goal of this project is to develop a research infrastructure for conducting systematic studies and evaluation of the effectiveness of widely used interactive engagement and inquiry based education interventions on developing students' ability in scientific reasoning. These new developments will provide educators and researchers with vital instruments, practical examples and resources, and a solid research knowledge base for developing and implementing curricula or interventions that are effective in helping students gain both content understanding and general scientific reasoning abilities in STEM areas.